I heard that Colin the Cuckoo had made the epic return journey to Thursley Common so I thought well if he can make it so can I so I jumped in the car drove the 70 miles round the orbital and arrived at the Moat Pond car park for 6.30am this morning. (tiny effort compared […]
Little Green Yanky Heron
After a few days of not going to see the Green Heron, today I finally joined a few desolate souls who needed it (James, Joe and Will who didn’t need it but joined anyway); we set off from Norwich early, though probably not early enough. The drive there was long (6.5 hours) and we got […]
Barn Swallow at Minsmere
I visited Minsmere today stopping at Alton Waters where the Red-rumped Swallow had disappeared before I arrived but I bagged a single Arctic Tern for a consolation prize. At Minsmere I tried first for the Savi’s but after an hour gave in and walked the reserve finding a single LRP before dipping the Garganey in […]
White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)
The White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) is a small passerine bird in the family Motacillidae, which also includes pipits and longclaws. The species breeds in much of Europe and Asia and parts of North Africa. It has a toehold in Alaska as a scarce breeder. It is resident in the mildest parts of its range, but […]
Green Heron Llan-mill Pembrokeshire
After leaving home at 4am this morning we found ourselves walking down the lane to the old mill in the village of Llan-mill in Pembrokeshire by 7.30am. As we approached the MP Simon Harts home we were greeted by another birder who directed us into the back garden which overlooks the large flooded pond where […]
A Canary Islands Pelagic November 2017
I only included two species here, Cory’s Shearwater and Leach’s Storm Petrel photos from a pelagic trip SW of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Spain. November 2017. (Map below.) All of the Cory’s photos are of 1st year birds as the adults move south westwards to winter around Brazil. We were in a small boat […]
White-spotted Pansy – Raydah Escarpment
Whilst birdwatching the bottom valley of the Raydah Escarpment in the Asir Mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia, I came across and photographed a White-spotted Pansy or White-spotted Commodore Precis limnoria. This is a butterfly in the Nymphalidae family. It is found in Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Ethiopia, Somalia, Kenya and Tanzania. The habitat consists of savanna […]